News and Announcements

This Thanksgiving holidays, state troopers will be in full force conducting patrols and road checks throughout the state of Georgia.Georgia State Troopers will be strictly enforcing seat belt laws and watching for impaired drivers.

The Thanksgiving holiday is typically one of the busiest travel periods of the year. The Georgia Department of Public Safety defines the Thanksgiving holiday as the 102-hour period that begins at 6 p.m.

Earlier this month on August 6th and August 7th, Smith, Welch, Webb and White, Partner Will White, and Associate, Grant McBride took on Troup County in a case where the client was awarded over 50x the highest settlement offer.

“This is why we do what we do. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a property owner to feel like they are backed into a corner, forced to choose between taking an offer of pittance and taking on the government. It’s our job to protect the Constitutional rights of those that can’t fight for themselves, and we take that job very seriously.” -Managing Partner, William White

The taking by Troup County, which consisted of air rights for the expansion of the LaGrange-Troup County airport, affected the client in a substantial way.

Sparklers and other “non-explosive” fireworks are legal in Georgia, but precautions still need to be taken to avoid personal injury. Surprisingly, sparklers caused more firework-related injuries last year than any other single type of firework novelty causing about 14% of injuries.

According to the US Consumer Products Safety Commission, there were 8 fireworks-related deaths reported in 2017. There were also an estimated 12,900 fireworks related injuries that required an emergency room visit 67% of which took place in the 30-day period surrounding the 4th of July. Among the thousands of people treated for fireworks-related injuries, most of them were children.Read more . . .

Many millennials have struggled with finding that perfect angle or that impeccable amount of sunlight for a quality “selfie”. Although I am an avid user of a number of social media platforms like Snapchat (who doesn’t love a funny dog filter), the dangers associated with using handheld devices while driving cannot be ignored. On May 2, 2018, Governor Nathan Deal signed the “Hands-Free Georgia Act” which is meant to prohibit actions which distract a driver while operating a motor vehicle. Although Georgia has already banned texting while driving, inattentive drivers in Georgia continue to be an issue. The law will go into effect on June 1, 2018.

The FAA regulates the use of U.S. Airspace and has rules and regulations concerning the use of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAV). Due to a sharp rise in the use of UAV, there exists several potential legal issues connected with the use of drones.

Unless the operator has a remote pilot certificate, then Small UAS Rule (Part 107) must be strictly complied with during the entirety of the flight of the UAV, a failure to do so may result in significant civil fines and/or civil action by a private person.Read more . . .

Have you accidentally carried a firearm through an airport security checkpoint?

Picture this – you are running late for your flight, you grab your bag, race to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, run to the security checkpoint, stand in line, you take off your shoes, take off your belt, and throw everything onto the scanner, you walk through the metal detector, you watch your bag go through the scanner and all of a sudden multiple Department of Homeland Security/Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”) agents are huddled around the scanner screen pointing at something in your bag. Uh-oh, panic sets in as you quickly realize what the problem is, in the chaos of trying to make it to the airport, you forgot to take your firearm out of your bag. TSA agents pull you to the side and shortly thereafter you are face to face with law enforcement and your firearm is seized by the FBI. What happens now?

Well, if you are carrying a firearm on a regular basis, hopefully you have your concealed carry permit on you otherwise, you may be getting ready to take a trip to Clayton County jail. If you have a concealed carry permit and you are compliant with TSA and law enforcement officials, you may spare yourself an evening behind bars.

The Fourth of July weekend is a time for Americans to celebrate the nation’s birth with family and friends with summer fun, fireworks, and barbecues. Millions of people will take to the roadways over this holiday weekend to get to their loved ones. According to a AAA survey, there will be over 37 million drivers this holiday. That is a 2.9 percent increase since just last year.Read more . . .

Since I entered the legal profession, there has always been this overwhelming movement to promote diversity. A post-civil rights era American, I was naïve to believe that we had overcome and that the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. had filtered into all segments of society, including the legal profession.

Congrats to three SWWW attorneys for being appointed to serve on special or program committees for the State Bar of Georgia. From the court system to the classrom, we know you will work hard to make a positive impact.

Smith Welch Webb & White serve clients throughout the south metro Atlanta area including but not limited to McDonough, Stockbridge, DeKalb County, Clayton County, Henry County, Peach County, Jonesboro, Spalding County, Butts County, and Lamar County.